Laurie
Jacobson is a celebrated Hollywood researcher and author who released
her fourth book in 2008. Timmy’s in the Well – The Jon
Provost Story (Cumberland House) celebrates the 50th anniversary
of Timmy from the original Lassie TV series. The book is a memoir she
co-wrote with Provost, her husband.
Prior to Timmy’s in the Well, Laurie published the
saucy and inventive Dishing Hollywood (Cumberland, 2nd printing),
spilling the beans on 43 Tinseltown scandals – with a pertinent
recipe connected to each one. Laurie’s second book, Hollywood
Haunted (Angel City Press, 7th printing) covers more than 100 years
of ghostly goings-on in filmland.
Recently, Laurie also made her film debut alongside Oscar™-nominee
Shirley Knight in Not Fade Away, now in post production.
A reformed stand-up comic, Laurie emerged from Harvey
Lembeck's Comedy Improv Workshop, where she worked for years with classmates
like Robin Williams, John Larroquette and John Ritter. While performing
with comedy groups, Laurie immersed herself in studying the history
of those who came before her. The stories and interviews she collected
during this period became the basis for her debut, archetype book, Hollywood
Heartbreak (Simon & Schuster, 3 printings), a 75-year history
of Hollywood told through the lives and deaths of 31 people. Following
its publication, Laurie emerged as a leading Hollywood historian.
Collaborations with other writers include Suzanne Somers
on her third book Wednesday’s Children, interviews with
celebrities raised in abusive environments, as well as contributions
to tomes like Hollywood Handbook and The Hollywood Archive.
Since then she has written and produced documentaries,
television series and specials, including: 20th Anniversary of the Mary
Tyler Moore Show, The Museum of Television and Radio’s Salute
to Funny Women of Television, The Warner Bros. Studio Rededication Party,
The Suzanne Somers Show, Photoplay and Hollywood Chronicles.
As well as being the reigning expert on Tinseltown’s
ghosts, scandals and mysteries, Laurie appears regularly on radio and
television, including: E!, CNN, Mike Wallace’s 20th Century, Entertainment
Tonight, Art Bell, A&E, History Channel, Discovery Channel, TVLand
and AMC.
Laurie Jacobson and Jon Provost make their home in Northern
California.